Emergency cut-off for automatic sprinkler systems.



1. T. VAN DILLEN & e. H F. BERGMANN.

EMERGENCY CUT-OFF FOR AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION man MAY 22. 1915.

1,167,860. I Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

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WITNESSES: VEDNZFZRS.

Q oiz-arzzeni & .fi-FBer mann- E g COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60.. WASHINGTON, D. C.

' To all whom it may concern V Be it known that W6,-JOHN Ti VAN DILLEN' rap STATES. PATENT orator.

JOI-INT; VANDI'LLEN ANn'GEonGE-m'r. BERGMAnnjoF-sr'LoUIs; Mrssonnn EMERGENCY CUT-OFF FOR AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEMS Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented-nan, 11, 1916.

Application filed May 22, 1915. Serial No. 29,901.

and GEORGE H. F. BERGMANN,"Cltl'ZeI1S *of the United Statesyresidmg at St. Louis,

State of 'Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Emer gency Cut-Offs for Automatic Sprinkler Systems; of which the, following is a full; clear,'and exact description; reference be ing' had to the accompanying drawings; forming a part hereof.

Our'invention has relation toimprove ments in emergency cut-offs for sprinkler heads of automatic sprinkler systems; and

it consists in-the novel features of construe-f tion more fully set forthin' the specification and pointed out in theclaims.

As well understood in the art, the'sp'rinkler' head'sof automatic isprinklen'systems are equipped with fusibleplugsywhich in case of fire or a rise in'temperature due to fire in the immediateneighborhood of the headyfuse and thereby release a stream of building from various causes, from the ha m' mering of pipes in making plumbing re pairs and the like and from other" causes,

thereby allowing the water'in the pipes to escape into the room and causing consider,v

able damage before it can be 'shut oif'at the 7 source of supply.

It is therefore the object ofourin'vention to provide a device which in emergencies such as here referred'to, may be used to in stantly cut off the flow of watera-t the sprin-, kler head before any considerable damage results, and before the main supply valve can be reached and closed. eXact position of this valve is not known to the occupants of the room; very often the.

valve sticks so it can not be instantly operated thus allowing the water to' flow and damage the premises and {any stock stored in'the room. By our invention the-water may be instantly shut off thereby preventing the evil consequences above pointed out."

A furtherobject of ourxinvention "is to provide a cut-off which is simple, one read-'- ily applied to a sprinkler-head; one which Frequently the is effective, and one possessing furtherl'andother advantages better apparent fro'm a detailed description'of the invention in con' nection with the accompanying drawings, in which' 1 a Figure 1 is a side-elevation ofthe cut oif inserted into the loop: of a sprinkler head, with parts broken away, the 5 operating wedge being driven iinward' it's "full limit; Fig.2 is a front elevation of Fig; l; Fig-2'3 is arvertical cross-section 1011 the "line 1 83 of Fig. 1, the .stick orpolebeing removed; Fig. 4 is'ia vertical-middle longitudinal section on the line 4% of Fig.4'2 with the wedge however partially withdrawn; Figz-5 is a similar section with wedge driven in ward as shown in Fig.1; Fig. 6 is atop pla n' of the lower block with wedge resting'thereon; and Fig. 7 is a conventional elevation of a prevailing form'of sprinkler head'show'-' ing the-fusibleplug Referring to the 1 drawings, WV represents a short section of 'a water pipe" equipped with TS l to which the sprinkler heads are secured,- a head usually comprising a discharge nozzle *0 located withina ring-or loop 2,- the latter being-provided at a. point diametrically opposite the nozzle with a spraymemberor rosette 3, a short teat 4 projecting; inwardly from within the spray member'toward-the nozzle'm' and disposed on the line of the axis of-said nozzle. Between the nozzle n andthe teati, the usual fusible plug -P'is mounted (Fig- 7). These features are old and well understood "in theart. r

Referring now specifically to our 'inVen tion, 5 represents a block-or equivalent'mem-'- ber subs'tantiallyoblong inform and flat,- the sides thereof being provided with par allel flanges h, h,' projecting above what for convenience "we shall designate as the upper face of the block, and extending the major portion of the length of the block, theforward ends ofthe flanges terminating at the base of the'tapering end or'nose' e of the block- At a convenient point. rearward of the front ends of the flanges h the block is provided withlaterally projecting lugs (3 against whichv the loop 2 of the sprinkler head may shoulder or rest-whenth'e device is inserted into the loop. Carried by the lugs 6 and-projecting a suitable distance above therblockare guide pins 7 which vpass freely gthrough openings formed in'corresp'onding-lugs or lobes 8 of a complementary block 9 deposited over the block 5 andspanning the flanges h. Slidably operating over the upper face of the block 5 between the flanges it, h, and confined between the blocks 5 and 9 is a wedge 10, said wedge being pro vided with a longitudinally disposed slot or opening 3 one wall of which has disposed thereon a series of rack teeth 25 with which engages a pinion 11 forming the upper terminal of a rotatable spindle 12 mounted in the socket or hollow boss 13 formed with the block 5, the slot 8 of the wedge operating across the bore of said boss. The spindle 12 is retained in the socket 13 by a screw 14: whose inner end traverses an annular peripheral groove (Z formed on the spindle. At a convenient point the spindle is provided with a flange or collar 12 which bears against the free end of the socket 13, said flange carrying a resilient lip or flexed spring 15 operating as a catch and adapted to snap into a shallow depression m on the socket wall for a purpose to presently ap pear. The outer portion of the spindle is screw-threaded to receive the socket 16 of a suitable stick or pole 17 terminating in an operating handle H if desired. The forward end of the block 9 terminates in a sloping nose 6 on the order of the nose 6:, said nose 6 being provided with a longitu dinally disposed groove or depression w for the reception and. guidance of the teat 4 of the sprinkler head. The front end of the wedge 10 likewise terminates in a sloping nose 6 on the order of the formations e, e. Formed in the bottom of the block 5, and partly entering or extending into the lugs 6 is a dovetail recess 1 (extending the width of the block) into which is inserted a com pressible layer 18 of rubber or equivalent packing material adapted to close over the mouth of the nozzle n of the sprinkler head when the device is inserted into the loop 2.

The operation will now be perfectly clear from the foregoing, and briefly it is substantially as follows: Let us assume that the plug P by accident or otherwise has become dislodged so as to release the water through the nozzle 01.. The device with the several. parts assembled as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and mounted on the stick 17, is picked up and inserted into the loop 2 (the noses e, 6, being inserted first.) until arrested by the loop striking the shoulders formedby the lugs 6. During the insertion the forcible jets or sprays of water issuing from the head impinge against the blocks and unless the latter were held steady by the spring 15, the device might be deflected or swung around on its spindle 12 by such impinging jets and make the insertion thereof into the loop difficult. The spring or catch 15 however im poses just enough friction on the wall of the socket 13 to keep the device steady and prevent displacement thereof while being inserted. Once'the device is inserted, how ever, the operator gives the stick 17 a turn in proper direction, thus'rotating the spindle 12 to which the stick is attached (the spring 15 readily riding out of the shallow depression on when rotation is imposed on the spindle). The pinion 11 at the end of the spindle in turn actuates the wedge 10 through the rack teeth t with which it is in mesh, causing the wedge to be forced inward between the blocks 5, 9, the block 9 being forced against the teat 4L, and the block 5 against the nozzle 7 the opening of which is closed by the packing or compressible layer 18, a water tight joint being thus insured and the water effectively cut off. It may be stated in passing that in the insertion of the blocks into the loop 2, the device is properly guided and centered by the teat 4 riding in the groove to of the movable block 9. Of course, the wedge 10 operates to drive the blocks 5 and 9 apart, but since only one of the blocks, to wit, the block 9 may be said to be the movable one (operating freely along the guide pins 7) the driving of the seat or layer 18 against the nozzle n is merely the effect or result of forcing the block 9 against the teat 4. It is immaterial which. block we consider as the movable one and which the stationary; the fact remains that they are movable relatively to one another. Once the ater is cut off at the nozzle n in the manner here described, the main valve at the source of supply can be turned to shut ofl the water, the deviceremoved from the loop 2, and a new fusible plug mounted in position, the whole consuming a minimum amount of'time and en tailing little damage to the premises.

Obviously, the apparatus is susceptible of many changes to which the skilled mechanic may resort without departing from the na ture or spirit of the invention.

Having described our invention what we claim is: 1

1. In combination with a pair of separable members jointly insertible into a loop forming the terminal of a sprinkler head, a slide interposed between the members and operating in a plane transverse to the path of the separating movement of the members to drive the members apart with a movement of the slide in a given direction, and a mem ber about which the separable members are jointly rotatable operating through one of the separable members for actuating the slide.

2. In combination with a pair of separable blocks jointly insertible into a loop forming the terminal of a sprinkler head, said blocks tapering at the forward end, a pair of transversely disposed guide pins on one of the blocks spaced apart and operating freely through openings in the opposite block, a sliding wedge operating between the blocks,

and an operating pole'having one end traversing one of the blocks for actuating said wedge.

3. In combination with a pair of separable blocks insertible into a loop forming the terminal of a sprinkler head, said blocks tapering at the forward end, a pair of transversely disposed pins on one of the blocks spaced apart and operating freely through openings in the opposite block, a sliding Wedge operating between the blocks and provided with a slot having rack teeth disposed on one Wall thereof, a pinion engaging the rack, and a rotatable operating pole coupled to the pinion and operating through one of the blocks for rotating the pinion and actuating the Wedge.

4:. An emergency cut off for sprinkler heads comprising a pair of blocks insertible into a loop forming the terminal of a sprinkler head, said blocks having contiguous plane faces along which the same are separable, and tapering at one end for ready insertion into said loop, a layer of compressible material on the outer face of one of the blocks for engaging the discharge opening ofthe sprinkler head and forming aseat for said block, a pair of transversely disposed guide pins leading from the last mentioned block and operating through openings of the opposite block, a sliding wedge between the blocks, provided with a slot elongated in the general direction of movement of said Wedge,

a rack formation on one of the side walls of the slot, a pinion engaging said rack, and a rotatable operating stick to which said pinion is secured operating through the block carrying the compressible layer, for rotating said pinion and actuating the Wedge, the compressible layer aforesaid being positioned to'pass over the discharge opening of the sprinkler head and form a tight joint therewith with a separating movement of the blocks under the action of the Wedge.

5. In an emergency cut-off for sprinkler systems, a pair of blocks insertible into a loop forming the terminal of a sprinkler head, a sliding wedge operating between the blocks, a rotatable member operating through one of the blocks for actuatingthe wedge, a spring or resilient catch on said rotatable member, the block traversed by said rotatable member being provided with a shallow depression for receiving the catch, whereby accidental rotary displacement of the blocks during the act of insertion is prevented, but rotation of the member is permitted for actuating the member and the wedge controlled thereby. Y

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN T. VAN DILLEN. GEORGE H. F. BERGMANN; Witnesses:

EMIL STAREK,

J 0s. A. MICHEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. C. 

